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Make Sure Your Drawings Have All the Necessary Information Make Sure Your Drawings Have All the Necessary Information
By Jeff Sweeney, 3DVision Technologies Releasing parts without all the necessary information can cause problems, use this tip to make sure all the data is in the right place.
Find New Uses for Frequency Analysis Find New Uses for Frequency Analysis
By David Roccaforte, FISHER/UNITECH Simulation Product Manager Frequency analysis has many uses beyond just detecting vibrations.
Make Sure Parts are Placed Correctly Make Sure Parts are Placed Correctly
By Bill Reuss, 3DVision Technologies The Dynamic Clearance tool gives users the ability to make sure that their parts are placed correctly.
Understanding What Weldment Groups Are Understanding What Weldment Groups Are
By Darrel Lampley, FISHER/UNITECH Learn about the various types of weldment groups in SolidWorks.
Simplify Models for Better Simulation Results Simplify Models for Better Simulation Results
By Bill Reuss, 3DVision Technologies One of the best ways to improve simulation results is to use as simple of a model as possible.
Customize Your Units Customize Your Units
By Tonia Lauer, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users are given the chance to choose the measurement units that serve them best.
An Easy Way to Access Mesh Controls An Easy Way to Access Mesh Controls
By Bill Reuss, 3DVision Technologies Components failing to mesh is a common problem that can be solved.
Add Additional Detail to Your Dimensions Add Additional Detail to Your Dimensions
By Chaz Stipkovic, FISHER/UNITECH For users who need to expand the dimension information contained in their designs, this tip can help.
Rotate a Part Inside an Assembly Rotate a Part Inside an Assembly
By Jeff Sweeney, 3DVision Technologies In this tip SolidWorks users find out the answer to a question that stumped a Cincinnati User Group.
List Assemblies Under a Single BOM Number List Assemblies Under a Single BOM Number
By Matthew Herald, FISHER/UNITECH Users can reduce the number of assemblies listed in the bill of material by organizing them under a single number.
A Shortcut for Accessing the Vault A Shortcut for Accessing the Vault
By Jeff Sweeney, 3DVision Technologies SolidWorks Enterprise PDM users can save themselves some time by accessing the Vault from the Windows 7 favorites list.
Sharpen Renderings in 3DVIA Sharpen Renderings in 3DVIA
By Steve Fick, FISHER/UNITECH Add a clear depth of field to your already high-end 3D renderings with this tip.
Understanding Material Properties Understanding Material Properties
By Bill Reuss, 3DVision Technologies An explanation showing how changes to a design's material properties can affect an entire simulation.
Catch Common Problems in Your SolidWorks Designs Catch Common Problems in Your SolidWorks Designs
By Darrel Lampley, FISHER/UNITECH Use the DFMXpress tool to ensure that the most common problems don't show up in your designs.
Master the New Mouse Gestures in SolidWorks 2012 Master the New Mouse Gestures in SolidWorks 2012
By Jordan Tadic, 3DVision Technologies SolidWorks 2012 expands on the mouse gesture functionality by adding "OK" and "Cancel" commands.
Re-arrange a Model’s View Orientation with a Few Clicks Re-arrange a Model’s View Orientation with a Few Clicks
By Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH Users can quickly change a model's view with just a few clicks.
Forget to Add Properties to a BOM? No Problem! Forget to Add Properties to a BOM? No Problem!
By Josh Spencer, 3DVision Technologies This tip shows SolidWorks users the easy way to update properties from a bill of materials.
Add More Information to Your Cut List Add More Information to Your Cut List
By Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users learn how to add additional information to their weldment's cut list.
Quickly Modify Geometry with Instant3D Quickly Modify Geometry with Instant3D
By Josh Spencer, 3DVision Technologies In this tip SolidWorks users learn how they can quickly create and modify geometry using the Instant3D tool.
Speed Up Cylinder Creation by Linking its Equations Speed Up Cylinder Creation by Linking its Equations
From the SolidProfessor Blog In this tip users learn how they can link a shell’s thickness value to its diameter for a cylinder.
Create a Flat View of a Rolled Sheet Create a Flat View of a Rolled Sheet
By Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip SolidWorks users learn how to create a flat view of a a rolled sheet metal tube.
Save Time by Copying Your System Settings for Simulation Save Time by Copying Your System Settings for Simulation
Robert Warren, 3DVision Technologies In this tip users learn how they can copy over their system setting for simulation.
Reference Geometry Pointers by SolidProfessor Reference Geometry Pointers by SolidProfessor
This video tutorial covers two situations where users might have a hard time creating reference geometry in SolidWorks.
A Quick Trick for Generating Animated Arrows A Quick Trick for Generating Animated Arrows
By Chris Snider, 3DVision Technologies In this video tip SolidWorks users learn an easy way to add animated arrows to their designs.
A Trick for Assigning Materials to Multiple Configurations A Trick for Assigning Materials to Multiple Configurations
By Scott Slovik, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users learn how to assign their materials to more than one configuration.
Utilizing Multi-body Modeling Techniques Utilizing Multi-body Modeling Techniques
By Jordan Tadic, 3DVision Technologies In this video tutorial users learn an easy method to design an iPhone case in SolidWorks 2011.
Expand the Materials Manager Expand the Materials Manager
By Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users learn the best ways to add new materials to the SolidWorks Materials Manager.
The Easy Way to Unsuppressed a Big Assembly The Easy Way to Unsuppressed a Big Assembly
By Josh Spencer, 3DVision Technologies In this tip SolidWorks users learn how to unsupress all the files in a large assembly as quickly as possible.
Solve a Common Translation Error in SolidWorks Solve a Common Translation Error in SolidWorks
Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH Learn how to easily repair files that are imported with failed faces.
Techniques for Better Finite Element Analysis Techniques for Better Finite Element Analysis
By Robert Warren, 3DVision Technologies In this tutorial users learn how to get the most from their SolidWorks Simulation projects.
Techniques for Better Finite Element Analysis Techniques for Better Finite Element Analysis
By Robert Warren, 3DVision Technologies In this tutorial users learn how to get the most from their SolidWorks Simulation projects.
View Manipulation Tricks
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog In this video tutorial users learn how take advantage of the many view manipulations commands they may not know about.
Learn to Prepare Models for Automation Learn to Prepare Models for Automation
Darrel Lampley, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users learn how to take models and prepare them automation.
Getting Familiar with the Total Uninstall Feature Getting Familiar with the Total Uninstall Feature
By Chris Snider, 3DVision Technologies In SolidWorks 2011, a ‘Total Uninstall’ option has been added to remove all user settings during the uninstall process.
Prevent SolidWorks Crashes Prevent SolidWorks Crashes
By Jonathan Grable, FISHER/UNITECH If SolidWorks keeps crashing this tip might have the answer.
Get the Most from the Slot Tool Get the Most from the Slot Tool
By Reuben Felsheim, 3DVision Technologies Learn to work around the Slot Tool's limitations in this tip.
Use IGS to Import Compress Models Use IGS to Import Compress Models
By Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users learn a handy shortcut for converting models from Compress to SolidWorks.
Using the BOM to Edit Part # & Description of Parts Using the BOM to Edit Part # & Description of Parts
By Drew Lindsey, Equipment Innovators This handy tip outlines how to keep the names and descriptions consistent using DriveWorks Xpress 2011 and SolidWorks 2011.
Show Off Your SolidWorks Models Wherever You Go Show Off Your SolidWorks Models Wherever You Go
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog In this tip users learn how to present their SolidWorks models using their iPhone.
Clean Up Your PDM Vault Clean Up Your PDM Vault
By Dan Wiggins, FISHER/UNITECH This tip will help users remove some of the more stubborn aspects of old PDM Vault data.
Maximizing Productivity in SolidWorks with View Commands Maximizing Productivity in SolidWorks with View Commands
By Jonathan Cubero, SolidWorks Specialist, TEDCF Publishing This tip will show you advanced view commands and hot keys that you may not have known were there.
Streamline Your Access to SolidWorks Files Streamline Your Access to SolidWorks Files
By Jordan Tadic, 3DVision Technologies In this tip users learn how to organize their SolidWorks install files.
Effectively Reuse Designs Effectively Reuse Designs
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog Make the most from existing designs by using the Design Library.
Make Global Changes Quickly Make Global Changes Quickly
By Josh Spencer, 3DVision Technologies In this tip from 3DVision Technologies users learn how to make changes throughout a design by using the “Replace Components” tool.
An Easier Way to Customize Parts An Easier Way to Customize Parts
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com In this tip users learn how to take advantage of the Configuration Publisher, a tool that helps create appealing interfaces.
Tricks for Using Design Tables Tricks for Using Design Tables
By Paul Kutolowski, FISHER/UNITECH Learn how design tables can be a great tool to for re-using geometry and creating design variations y by modifying dimensions in an Excel file format.
Don’t Miss Out on the Property Tab Don’t Miss Out on the Property Tab
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com In this tip users learn how to use the Property Tab to quickly enter document properties using a custom form for versions 2009-2011.
Customizing the SolidWorks Shortcut Bar Customizing the SolidWorks Shortcut Bar
By John Cubero, SolidWorks Specialist, TEDCF Publishing In this tip users learn to customize the SolidWorks Shortcut Bar to meet their needs.
Sychronize Files the Easy Way Sychronize Files the Easy Way
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com Learn how to take advantage of Drop Box a tool to help users easily synchronize files.
Mirror SolidWorks Geometry More Accurately Mirror SolidWorks Geometry More Accurately
By TEDCF See why mirroring half of a SolidWorks sketch is a faster and more accurate way of creating symmetrical geometry.
Keep Your Graphics Area Clear Keep Your Graphics Area Clear
By Josh Spencer, 3DVision Technologies In this tip SolidWorks users learn how to maintain visibility in their graphical area without turning off “Shaded with Edges.”
A Breakdown of SolidWorks Document Types A Breakdown of SolidWorks Document Types
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com In this tip Kevin Van Liere explains how templates can be used for each of the three kinds of SolidWorks documents.
Get the Most from Display States and Configuration States Get the Most from Display States and Configuration States
By Lisa Van Giesen, FISHER/UNITECH In this tip users learn the best ways to use both configuration states and display states.
Don’t Let Inference Lines Damage Your Design Don’t Let Inference Lines Damage Your Design
By Chris Snider, 3DVision Technologies SolidWorks 2010 can create problems by automatically aligning notes or dimensions, in this tip users learn how to deactivate the automatic alignments.
Should I Link to the Model or Drawing? Should I Link to the Model or Drawing?
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com Should elements be linked to the drawing file properties or the model file properties in SolidWorks? Find out!
Don’t Waste Time on Weldments Don’t Waste Time on Weldments
By Rod Harper, FISHER/UNITECH A series of quick tips showing users how to streamline their weldments experience in SolidWorks.
Take the Headache out of Command Navigation Take the Headache out of Command Navigation
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog In this video tip users learn how to simplify their use of the SolidWorks' Command Navigation feature.
Slow Down Rapid Dimensioning Slow Down Rapid Dimensioning
Chris Snider, 3DVision Technologies Learn how to remove the rapid dimensioning feature in this tip from 3DVision Technologies.
Synchronizing Properties between Model & Drawing Documents Synchronizing Properties between Model & Drawing Documents
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com Try running this simple macro that copies the custom properties from the model to the drawing in SolidWorks.
Make the Design Library Work for You Make the Design Library Work for You
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog The Design Library is one of the many features in SolidWorks that can save users precious time, learn how in this video tip.
Handy Method for Creating Multi-sectioned Line Views Handy Method for Creating Multi-sectioned Line Views
By Mark Mason, CAD Tutorials SolidWorks doesn’t have a tool for creating multi-sectioned line views, so users can take advantage of this tutorial to learn how.
Ease the Pain of Border Creation in SolidWorks Ease the Pain of Border Creation in SolidWorks
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com Learn how to save yourself from the boredom of making borders for drawing templates.
An Easier Way to Make 3D Sketches in SolidWorks An Easier Way to Make 3D Sketches in SolidWorks
By Randy Simmons, 3DVision Technologies Struggling to create Weldment frames? This tip shows how easy it can be.
Save Time in SolidWorks with View Manipulation Feature Save Time in SolidWorks with View Manipulation Feature
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog Save time and improve efficiency by using the View Manipulation feature in SolidWorks. Watch the video now.
Fascinating Fastener Features in SolidWorks Fascinating Fastener Features in SolidWorks
By Mark Mason, CAD Tutorials A tutorial explaining how to use the Lip & Groove feature in SolidWorks.
Want to Be More Flexible? Want to Be More Flexible?
By Josh Spencer, 3DVision Technologies Learn how to take advantage of sub-assemblies in this tip from 3DVision Technologies.
Why You Might Want to Put Anchors in Drawing Templates Why You Might Want to Put Anchors in Drawing Templates
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com This month Kevin discusses why setting your table anchors in your templates may not be as critical anymore in SolidWorks versions 2008 and up.
SolidWorks Time Saving Tips: Assembly Techniques SolidWorks Time Saving Tips: Assembly Techniques
By Matthew West, SolidWorks Blog In this tip SolidWorks users learn how to streamline the creation of assemblies.
Keep your Drawing Views Rolling Keep your Drawing Views Rolling
By Josh Spencer, Application Engineer 3DVision Technologies Learn to rotate design views in SolidWorks in this tip from 3DVision Technologies.
CATIA V5 to Fuselage Bending CATIA V5 to Fuselage Bending
By Mark Mason, CAD Tutorials This tip shows how to bend the fuselage of airplane in CATIA and SolidWorks.
3DU Instructor Tip #1 – Sheet Metal 3DU Instructor Tip #1 – Sheet Metal
By FISHER/UNITECH Use this tip to help discern the best way to insert a flat pattern into a drawing.
How to Quickly Create Different Size Drawing Templates How to Quickly Create Different Size Drawing Templates
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com In this tip readers find out how to save time while creating a title block.
SolidWorks Shortcuts to Help Save Time SolidWorks Shortcuts to Help Save Time
Two quick tips from the SolidWorks Blog designed to help you save time.
Finding Parts in an Assembly Finding Parts in an Assembly
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com Learn how one setting can save you time every day.
Sheetmetal Design Stages in SolidWorks Sheetmetal Design Stages in SolidWorks
By Mark Mason This is a teaser video of a sheetmetal Jeep made completely out of a single piece.
Changing Template Border Colors in SolidWorks Changing Template Border Colors in SolidWorks
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com Find out how to change grey lines in the border and title block templates in this helpful SolidWorks tip.
What's New in SolidWorks Simulation 2010? What's New in SolidWorks Simulation 2010?
By Seth Bischoff, 3DVision Technologies Seth Bischoff of 3DVision Technologies walks users through some features in 2010 Simulation that they may not know about.
The HIDDEN Relations in SolidWorks The HIDDEN Relations in SolidWorks
By Randy Simmons, Application Engineer for 3DVision Technologies 3DVision’s Randy Simmons explains how SolidWorks users can use a shortcut to create a 3D Sketched entity.
Second Page Variable Solution for SolidWorks Second Page Variable Solution for SolidWorks
By Kevin Van Liere, SolidWorksTemplates.com One of the most common issues users have with drawings occurs when they add a second page to a drawing. Learn how to set the Second Page Variable.
SolidWorks Context Toolbars SolidWorks Context Toolbars
By Jim Wilkinson, DS SolidWorks A new SolidWorks tip explaining how users can take advantage of SolidWorks Context Toolbars.
Creating Isometric Section Views in SolidWorks Creating Isometric Section Views in SolidWorks
By Albert Whatmough, Inspirtech Learn how to create a section view and isometric section view in this new "quick tip."
Proper FILE NAMES Within CAD Environments Proper FILE NAMES Within CAD Environments
By MechWorks Find out how with PDM applications like DBWorks there is no reason to force the FILE NAME to contain descriptions and/or revision data.
SolidWorks Tutorial: Hole Wizards SolidWorks Tutorial: Hole Wizards
By Albert Whatmough, Inspirtech Watch this demo and learn how to equally space entities using a sketch pattern in SolidWorks.
Unleashing SolidWorks Weldment Profiles Unleashing SolidWorks Weldment Profiles
By Albert Whatmough, Inspirtech Learn how to take advantage of the 1000’s of profiles that ship with SolidWorks, including weldment and routing profiles.
Creating Compound Holes in SolidWorks Creating Compound Holes in SolidWorks
By Albert Whatmough, Inspirtech Here's a few tricks for creating compound holes using an extruded surface as a sketch plane.
Set Up Auto Numbering for Your SolidWorks Files Set Up Auto Numbering for Your SolidWorks Files
By Jeff Cope, Extensible CAD Technologies In this new column Jeff Cope, founder of Extensible CAD offers a tip on how to set up auto numbering for SolidWorks files. Check back monthly for more from Jeff!
Flattening Imported Sheet Metal Part Files Flattening Imported Sheet Metal Part Files
By Daniel Graham, Applications Engineer 3DVision Technologies Daniel Graham of 3D Vision reveals how to automate the process of flattening sheet metal part files.
Advantages of Implementing PDMWorks Enterprise Advantages of Implementing PDMWorks Enterprise
Submitted by SolidWorks A tip on how to best implement the SolidWorks PDM experience.
Top 10 Common Mistakes in Rapid Prototyping Top 10 Common Mistakes in Rapid Prototyping
By Quickparts Get solutions to common rapid prototyping design mistakes.
Tips for SolidWorks Sheet Metal Design Tips for SolidWorks Sheet Metal Design
Courtesy of sheetmetaldesign.com Tips on how to best take advantage of SolidWorks' sheet metal design tools.
Debuging Your SolidWorks Addin Debuging Your SolidWorks Addin
By Jeff Cope Jeff Cope contributes another helpful tip. In this entry he explains how to avoid irritating problems with your SolidWorks addin.
Build Templates in Adobe 3D the Easy Way Build Templates in Adobe 3D the Easy Way
Submitted by Lars Olson Here's a handy tip to help you build a custom template in Adobe 3D, save yourself time and aggravation and check it out!
SolidWorks Tips and Tricks SolidWorks Tips and Tricks
Courtesy of SolidWorks Improving SolidWorks import diagnosis functions with FormatWorks manual repair tools.
Reliable IGES translation for SolidWorks Users Reliable IGES translation for SolidWorks Users
Submitted by Capvidia Much has been written about how IGES should be avoided for data translation. Here is an example with FormatWorks which will give better results.
Best Practices in Data Translation Best Practices in Data Translation
Todd Reade, President, TransMagic, Inc. Here are some tips, courtesy of TransMagic's Todd Reade, for addressing common CAD data translation problems.
Creating a Square Spring Feature in SolidWorks Creating a Square Spring Feature in SolidWorks
By Rishi Kumar Patel CAD Engineer Rishi Kumar Patel takes us through the steps for creating a square spring.
Forcing a Join Forcing a Join
By Jon Gifford The join command needs all components to have some "area" in common. In this quick tip, Jon shows us how to make it all come together.
The Perils of Overcoming the 2GB Memory Limit – Part 3 The Perils of Overcoming the 2GB Memory Limit – Part 3
By Wayne Tiffany In this installment of our 3-part "most popular tip of 2004," Wayne Tiffany continues his investigation into the 3GB switch.
Overcoming the 2GB Memory Limit - Part 2 Overcoming the 2GB Memory Limit - Part 2
By Wayne Tiffany The most popular tip of 2004! We thought this three-part tip is worthy of a reprint for those who may have missed all or part of it.
Overcoming the 2GB Memory Limit - Part I Overcoming the 2GB Memory Limit - Part I
By Ed Eaton The most popular tip of 2004! We thought this three-part tip is worthy of a reprint for those who may have missed all or part of it.
File Conversion: SW2005/Earlier Releases File Conversion: SW2005/Earlier Releases
By George Smith Injection Mold Design/Toolmaker George Smith addresses a touchy subject: backward compatability with SolidWorks releases.
Adding Cosmetic Threads to the End of a Rod or Shaft Model Adding Cosmetic Threads to the End of a Rod or Shaft Model
By Jon Gifford Here's a quick modeling tip from CAD engineer Jon Gifford.
Creating a Section View in an Additional Sheet. Creating a Section View in an Additional Sheet.
By Jon Gifford CAD engineer Jon Gifford shows us how to create a section view in a sheet other than your parent view.
Removing the User Interface from an eDrawing Web Page Removing the User Interface from an eDrawing Web Page
By Rod Mackay, Javelin Technologies Inc. Tipster Rod Mackay tells us how to save an eDrawing as a web page and post it onto your website without the eDrawing user interface.
Balloonists Beware! Balloonists Beware!
By Jon Gifford Watch out for power lines! (Just kidding...)
Trimming a Corner Trimming a Corner
By Max Leadley-Brown Need to extend two lines to meet at an intersection? The extend tool can help.
Material Linking in PhotoWorks 2 Material Linking in PhotoWorks 2
By Rod Mackay, Javelin Technologies Inc. Learn how to link PhotoWorks Material to a file in multiple part and assembly documents.
The Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune
By Jon Gifford The mouse wheel is especially effective in SolidWorks...
Using the Join Command
By Jon Gifford, Thiele Technologies The join command needs all components to have "area" in common to work. Jon Gifford shows us how to make that happen in SolidWorks.
Doing It With Mirrors in Sheet Metal Doing It With Mirrors in Sheet Metal
By Jon Gifford How to create a mirrored version of a sheet metal component.
Copying Dimension Text among Multiple Dimensions Copying Dimension Text among Multiple Dimensions
By Jon Gifford Copying Dimension Text among Multiple Dimensions in SolidWorks is a nice feature when you are working with drawings.
Three Tips Re: Cosmetic Threads Three Tips Re: Cosmetic Threads
By Jon Gifford Tips for putting cosmetic threads on a part, as opposed to actual threads.
Using the Trim Tool as An Extend Tool
By John Gifford, Theil Technologies When using the trim tool, you may find yourself having to switch back and forth to extend lines that fall short.
Tips on Importing Images into WORD Tips on Importing Images into WORD
Suggestions on capturing SolidWorks images for use in reports, documentation, and more.
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